Four modern pentathletes selected for Rio 2016

08 June 2016 / 09:15

Five events, four selected athletes and three days of competition in Rio - as the countdown to the Olympic Games continues, today we can announce the modern pentathletes who will represent Team GB this summer.

The selected athletes are:Samantha Murray, 26, from Clitheroe, Lancs, and now lives in BathKate French, 25, from Gravesend, Kent and now lives in BathJoe Choong, 21, from Orpington, London and now lives in BathJames Cooke, 25, from Cheltenham, Gloucs, and now lives in Bath

London 2012 silver medallist Samantha Murray returns to the fold for Team GB for her second appearance at an Olympic Games while Kate French, Joe Choong and James Cooke are all in line for their Olympic debuts.

Murray was the first to qualify a quota spot for Team GB at Rio 2016 with her performance at the 2015 World Championships while French and Choong earned their ticket at the 2015 European Championships in Bath.

Cooke was the last to join the ranks but makes the cut after narrowly missing out on a spot at London 2012 and secured his berth with a top-ten finish at this year’s World Championships in Moscow. This followed victories at World Cup 4 in Kecskemét, Hungary, and the World Cup Final in Sarasota, Florida, earlier in the year.

Murray’s medal at London 2012 was the seventh for Team GB since the sport made its first appearance at an Olympic Games in 1912.

Team GB has now selected 75 athletes from nine sports for Rio 2016.

“The Olympic Games means everything to me. Having competed at London I now know what it’s all about, I know what it’s like to compete at the Games, and I feel like I know what it takes to get on the podium again," said Murray.

“That has been my goal now for four years, to become the first British female pentathlete to win medals at two Olympic Games. It’s really exciting – to represent Team GB is an amazing honour and I’m really looking forward to doing it again.

“We get the chance every four years to showcase what we can deliver. We have won a medal at every Games since Sydney, so we have consistently shown people that we are a really strong nation at pentathlon. I don’t think this year will be an exception.”

Joe Choong added: “The Olympics has been a dream since I started the sport in Year 9 at school. When you start a sport and start doing well, you always keep looking at the next level and thinking bigger, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Olympics. I watched London 2012 and that definitely motivated me to try and get to the next Games. It’s a big moment for me.”